https://sputnikglobe.com/20220405/south-ossetia-president-two-referendums-may-be-held-on-joining-russia-reunification-with-north-1094485371.html
South Ossetia President: Two Referendums May Be Held on Joining Russia, Reunification With North
South Ossetia President: Two Referendums May Be Held on Joining Russia, Reunification With North
Sputnik International
Earlier, the president of the republic said that the country would soon take legal steps to become part of Russia. He noted that the opportunity to realize... 05.04.2022, Sputnik International
2022-04-05T00:24+0000
2022-04-05T00:24+0000
2023-04-30T17:10+0000
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Two referendums may be held in South Ossetia: first, on joining Russia; and only after that, a referendum on reunification with Russia's North Ossetia may be held, the republic's President Anatoly Bibilov told Sputnik.According to Bibilov, consultations with Moscow are currently underway, and the referendum may take place after April 10.He noted, however, that direct entry into Russia and the simultaneous unification of Ossetias will not happen, because "this is not allowed by law." Thus, Bibilov stressed that only when "South Ossetia is already part of the Russian Federation," then the processes of unification of Ossetia should already be underway, and "then there should already be two referendums."The leader of the republic, who recently visited the Donbass region, noted that it is wrong to link the conclusion of Russia's ongoing special military operation in Ukraine and the a referendum in South Ossetia on joining the Russian Federation.Besides, he said that that the historic division of Ossetia into North and South in the 1920s was a political misunderstanding. He explained that united Ossetia became part of the Russian Empire back in 1774, and was split up in two in the last century without the people's opinion.Last month, the US State Department spokesman Ned Price said Washington will not accept the fact of South Ossetia joining Russia, as the US reaffirmed its commitment to the territorial integrity of Georgia.According to the statement, the decision will be made in the same way that Washington previously did not recognize Crimea as Russian, and later the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics.South Ossetia is a minor breakaway state in the South Caucasus that shares all of its borders with Georgia except for the north, which it shares with Russia. Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru, and Syria have all recognized the country as the sovereign state. While Georgia does not control South Ossetia nor recognize it as a state, the Georgian government and most UN members consider the territory to be part of the country, which refers to it as the Tskhinvali region.After a five days war in August 2008, when Georgia attempted to forcefully resolve the issue of the independence of the republic, starting the bombardment of the capital of the breakaway republic, Tskhinval. In response, Russia launched a military operation to "enforce peace" in Georgia. A truce was soon reached.Since the war, the South Ossetian leadership has indicated its desire to become a republic inside the Russian Federation, owing to the fact that North Ossetia is already a part of Russia.
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south ossetia, south ossetia conflict, referendum
south ossetia, south ossetia conflict, referendum
South Ossetia President: Two Referendums May Be Held on Joining Russia, Reunification With North
00:24 GMT 05.04.2022 (Updated: 17:10 GMT 30.04.2023) Kirill Kurevlev
Managing Editor
Earlier, the president of the republic said that the country would soon take legal steps to become part of Russia. He noted that the opportunity to realize this "strategic goal" was back in 2014, when Crimea was reunited with Russia following a referendum.
Two referendums may be held in South Ossetia: first, on joining Russia; and only after that, a referendum on reunification with Russia's North Ossetia may be held, the republic's President Anatoly Bibilov told Sputnik.
According to Bibilov, consultations with Moscow are currently underway, and the referendum may take place after April 10.
He noted, however, that direct entry into Russia and the simultaneous unification of Ossetias will not happen, because "this is not allowed by law." Thus, Bibilov stressed that only when "South Ossetia is already part of the Russian Federation," then the processes of unification of Ossetia should already be underway, and "then there should already be two referendums."
Bibilov recalled that there have already been examples of the regions’ unification in Russia. He said that there "are two stages, one might say, the unification of Ossetians and Ossetias."
The leader of the republic, who recently visited the Donbass region, noted that it is wrong to link the conclusion of Russia's ongoing special military operation in Ukraine and the a referendum in South Ossetia on joining the Russian Federation.
Besides, he said that that the historic division of Ossetia into North and South in the 1920s was a political misunderstanding. He explained that united Ossetia became part of the Russian Empire back in 1774, and was split up in two in the last century without the people's opinion.
Last month, the US State Department spokesman Ned Price said Washington will not accept the fact of South Ossetia joining Russia, as the US reaffirmed its commitment to the territorial integrity of Georgia.
According to the statement, the decision will be made in the same way that Washington previously did not recognize Crimea as Russian, and later the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics.
South Ossetia is a minor breakaway state in the South Caucasus that shares all of its borders with Georgia except for the north, which it shares with Russia. Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru, and Syria have all recognized the country as the sovereign state.
While Georgia does not control South Ossetia nor recognize it as a state, the Georgian government and most UN members consider the territory to be part of the country, which refers to it as the Tskhinvali region.
After a five days war in August 2008, when Georgia attempted to forcefully resolve the issue of the independence of the republic, starting the bombardment of the capital of the breakaway republic, Tskhinval. In response, Russia launched a military operation to "enforce peace" in Georgia. A truce was soon reached.
Since the war, the South Ossetian leadership has indicated its desire to become a republic inside the Russian Federation, owing to the fact that North Ossetia is already a part of Russia.
